Envelope-machine



(k0 Model i) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

v F. H. RICHARDS.

v ENVELOPE MACHINE.- I No. 364,132. Patented May 31, 1887.

NY FETKRS. Phulwliihognpher, wam'n mn. at;

(NoModeL') v 4'Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. H.. RICHARDS. v I

"ENVELOPE MACHINE. No. 364,132. Patented May 31, 1887.

w gg Q r i Q o l O I l I g Witnesses:

PETERS. Fholn-Uihugrzpmv. Wnhinglon. D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

.F. H. RICHARDS. ENVELOPE MACHINE.

No. 364,132.- Patented May 31,1887;

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N. PETERS Phuln'Lilhcgmphcr. Washinglun. D. C,

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P; H. RICHARDS. ENVELOPE MACHINE.

No. 364,132. Patented- Mal V31, 1887,

77267268668: x InZ/enAt br:

* NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSICNOR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE wHITE, CORRIN a COMPANY, OF VERNON,

CONNECTICUT. I

ENVELOPE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,132, dated May -31,1887.

Application filo.l October 19, 1885. Renewed November 15,1886. SerialNo.2l8,920. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden, State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEnvelope-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of envelope-machines in which theyblanks are creased in their folding-lines prior to the foldingoperation, the object being to provide mechanism adapted tosimultaneously crease and print the blanks at the same place in themachine.

I 5 My invention is applicable to the improved envelope-machinedescribed and claimed in my application No. 118,905, filed January 28,1884, of which some of the parts are shown in this case.

The invention consists in the devices and combinations hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of an envelope-machine asembodies my improvements, some of the upper parts being broken away.Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear of the same, which is at the lefthand in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top .view

of the principal parts, 011 the top plate, showing the blank-carryingpickers in their front position. Fig. 4: isa vertical section about inline a a, Fig. 1, showing a modification in one of the details; Fig. 5is another view of one 5 of the modified details, drawn in projectionwith the same parts in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a top view of the inkingapparatus. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the guides supporting theinking-rollers and their carriage. Fig. 8 is a 0 view similar to Fig. 4,but more complete,

showing a blank in place preparatory to creasing. Fig. 9 shows thecreasing-die brought down onto the blank. Fig. 10 shows the die stilldown, holding the blank in place, and the 5 type plate or block forcedup to print the under side of the creased blank. Fig. 11 shows the diestill holding the creased and printed blank, while the type-plate hasbegun to move down. Fig. 12 shows the type moved clear down, ready forinking, and the creasing-die well be done.

raised, thus freeing the blank, which is next conveyed away by thepickers to the folding mechanism.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures. 5 5

The frame-work for carrying the several details of my improvedenvelope-machine may consist, as in ordinary practice, of the topplate,'A, supported at either end on legs B and B, which are tiedtogether near the bottom by rods 3.

S designates the usual driving-shaft carrying the operating-cams.

K is the pile of blanks, placed, as usual, near the front of themachine, between guides that 6 5 are designated by 4 in Figs. 1 and 3.

P P are a pair of pickers, each connected to a verticallyreciprocatingstem, 5, whereby they are operated. In Fig. 1 they are shown resting onthe blank pile, from which they are supposed to take a blank, and, firstlifting it up, carry it away to and beneath the creasingdie. The stems 5are fitted to holes in a slide,. I 7, and are connected at the top bythe bar 8. Springs 9 serve to lift the pickers after they have beenpushed down. This operation may be performed, and also the slide bemoved on its supporting-guide 10, by the means shown 1 for so operatingthesimilar pickers and slide in my aforesaid prior application, SerialNo. 118,905.

F designates the folding-box, which is furnished with an ordinary set offolding-wings, a trap-door, and theplunger 6.

Inasmuch as my improvements do not at all relate to or modify the usualcams and connectin g devices for operating the aforesaid foldingmechanism, said cams and devices and other parts are not shown in thedrawings, being left out to give clearer illustration of my 0 presentimprovements than could otherwise Said wings, trap door, and plungermay, however, be operated by the mechanism shown for similar purposes inUnited'States Patent N 0. 177,048, dated May 5 2, 1876.

Between the folding-box F and the pile of blanks I place a mechanism forcreasing the blanks in their folding-lines, which is constructed asfollows: Any suitable casting, as

B, supports a creasing-bed, D, with its top in about the plane of thelifted pickers. Said bed may be made of elastic material, as rubber,contained in a groove in B, or it may be a grooved plate, correspondingto the foldinglines of the blank. A vertically-reciprocating die, E,preferably having a creasing-edge, as at 55, Fig. 8, is carriedimmediately over said bed by a stem, 26, which is operated by arm 27 andslide 28 in one direction by spring 29, and in the other by cam 30, Fig.2, said stem and slide having their bearings in bracket 31. The underside of die E has a platen, 12, against which the type may act in theordinary manner. The type-block 15 is fixed on a vertically-movablepart, for which part I employ slide 13, working in abearing in plate A,and having access to the platen through an opening in part B", as fullyshown in the drawings. Said slide is operated at proper times andthrough the required distances by cam 16, constructed suitably therefor,which cam acts through the angle-lever 14, or other connections, to movethe slide up, a spring, 17, being employed to draw it down. When thetypeblock is down, as in Figs. 8 and 9, its upper surface is in theplane of the revolving inktable 18. This table is or may be the usualsimple device commonly employed for the same purpose in smallprinting-presses. It is carried on a shaft, 19, having a ratchet-wheel,20, which is to be turned intermittently in the usual manner by devicesnot shown in the drawings. It is not material what devices are used forthat purpose. Other forms of inktable may also be substituted for table18, as may be preferred. Ink is supplied to the tabio and type from anordinary ink-fountain, T, having the usual rolls, 21, for delivering theink.

The distribution is effected by an ordinary traveling roller, or, asshown in the drawings,

- a pair of them. These are designated by 22 23,

and are supported in a carriage, 24,which runs in guides 25. Saidcarriage is operated by a link, 32, from a lever, 33, which ismoved inone direction by spring 34 and in the other by cam 36. On account oftheir small size, these parts do not all have reference-characters inall the views. The apparatus is, however, so common that itsconstruction and operation will be obvious.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: A pile of blankspreviously cut to the required shape having been placed between guides4, the uppermost one is gummed, as

usual, by pickers P, is raised thereby,and conveyed to position 40, Fig.8, immediately and centrally under the creasing-die, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 3. Die E is now brought down forcibly onto the blank, asin Fig. 9, impressing the folding-lines into the groove or into therubber when this is used. While said die remains on the paper, therebyholding it firmly in place, the type, previously inked, is brought upagainst and prints the blank, as shown in Fig. 10. Next, the type iswithdrawn from the blank while this is still held by the creasing-die,as in Fig. 11, and then thetype and die move away simultaneously totheir positions in Fig. 12. After this the creased and printed blank maybe carried on by the pickers to be folded and disposed of in theordinary manner, the machine then standing ready for operating on thenext blank.

It should be understood that I am not limited to the use ofblank-carrying pickers for taking the blank to and from my improved.

combined creasing and printing mechanism, for I may use therefor thecarriers, or others similar thereto, shown and described in myapplication,Serial N 0. 178,690, filed October 1, 1885'.

It will also be understood that my invention is applicable toenvelope-machines of the class shown in United States Patent No.177,048, dated-May 2, 1876, in which the en velope-blank is presented tothe printing mechanism by an intermittently-acting feed, and not byblankearrying pickers, as herein described. It is in practice quiteimmaterial which of these devices is employed to feed the blanks, theonly essential thing, the motion imparted to the blank, being the samein each case.

In another application, Serial No. 176,433, filed September 7, 1885,Ihave described and claimed an improved blank-creasing mechanism adaptedto be used in connection with my present improvements.

For operating the creasing-die, a modified mechanism may be used, asshown in Fig. 4. Here slide 28 is operated from crank 50 by a link, 51.The required dwell of the die on the bed D is obtained in this case bymaking the slide and arm slightly elastic.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-* 1. Theeombination,inanenvelope-machine, of a creasing-bed, a creasing' die operated bymechanism, substantiallyas described, to have a dwell on said bed, andprinting mechanism operating to print the blank held by said die andduring said dwell, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination,in an envelope-machine, of a creasing-bed, acreasing-die operating on said bed, means, substantiallyasdescribed, forfeeding blanks to said bed, a type-block adapted to print the blanksagainst said die,and means, substantially as described, operating thedie and type to first crease and hold the blank and then print saidblank while held by the creaser, substantially as set forth.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

\Vitnesscs:

FRANK H. PIERPONT, VVILBUR M. STONE.

